Can you get my baby to sleep?

Any parents out there with any tips on teaching your baby to sleep? I am afraid that having a stubborn Dad and even more stubborn Mom equals the most stubborn baby in the universe. It took me 3 and a half hours to get Stella to nap today. I was trying to get her down without nursing her to sleep...end result? I ended up nursing her to sleep. I need serious help, and I know when I need to ask for it. A talent I am proud to say I have been developing. Thanks in advance for any smart tips!

Stella Jane is 5 months

Our little Stella Jane is 5 months old now! It is amazing how fast and how slow time moves along. She is such a happy and giggly baby. I have never seen a kid who laughs as much or is as ticklish. That she gets from her Daddy. Luckily for me she is not old enough to uncontrollably flail her elbows and accidentally assault Mommy at the slightest hint of a tickle like her Daddy. Some reflexes are stronger than others.

Stella enjoys putting everything in her mouth and chomping on Mom or Dad's knuckles. She can even put her Binky back in on the off chance that she maneuvers the nipple end towards her face. She is almost sitting unassisted and loves to roll around on the floor with her toys. If only she could master sleeping for more than 2 hours at a time, life would be that much sweeter. All in all, we are doing well.

I have been tapering off of my pain medication in preparation for a pain medicine pump trial which is not the most fun endeavor I have embarked on. It is right up there with going to the dentist every day, paying your taxes, or listening to the media constantly and very thickly lavish praise on a president who has not even done anything yet. If all goes well, the pump will be implanted in my abdomen and a thin flexible tube will run around my side to my spine and deliver pain medicine directly onto my spinal cord. This should provide adequate pain relief with an extremely minimal amount of drugs. It could really change our lives. You can read more about the device here http://www.medtronic.com/our-therapies/drug-pumps/index.htm. I hope to have the trial done within the next few weeks.

Throughout all of this, my unfailingly sweet and generous husband has been taking care of Stella and I. I am extremely grateful for my support network. My mom, mother-in-law (Grandma Jane), my fabulous in-laws (you know who you are), Charity, my friends Amy and Angie, and of course my spectacular husband. I do not know what I did to deserve him, but God blessed me with an incredibly strong, considerate, sweet man. Special thanks to Grandma Jane for helping mold him into the man he is today. He is a wonderful Daddy with a magic touch that can lull Stella to sleep anytime. The patience and the tenacity to keep rocking her until she finally relents and slips off to dreamland is a talent and skill that I only hope to develop.

At times I struggle to be grateful for what I have. I wonder when the pain will relent and a solution will be found. I only have to look toward the wonderful family and friends in my life. I hope to remember this daily...if not hourly (on those days that I really struggle)...in order to more gracefully handle the challenges that chronic pain brings.

I did not intend for this post to be all about me and my ills, but you never know what will spill onto the page. Lots of love to you and yours. I appreciate all of the prayers, support, and well wishes.

Please lend your support to a family who is experiencing struggles that I cannot even comprehend. Please read their story by visiting their page and donate what you can. http://whatcanwedotohelp.blogspot.com/